Method and apparatus for verifying security system installations

Abstract

A method and apparatus for verifying a security system installations. In one embodiment, a method comprises creating a customer account record, receiving a security panel identification of a security panel and a physical address where the security panel has been installed, storing the physical address and the security panel identification in the customer account record, receiving identification information and a current location of the security panel as determined by location circuitry resident within the security panel over a communication channel used to transmit alarm event information by the security panel, comparing the current location of the security panel to the physical address stored in the customer account to determine whether the current location of the security panel is within a predetermined distance of the physical address, and providing an indication of the result of the comparison.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method for verifying a location of a security panel installation, comprising:
 creating a customer account record by a processor in a memory;   receiving a security panel identification of a security panel and a physical address where the security panel has been installed;   storing the physical address and the security panel identification in the customer account record;   receiving a message from the security panel over a communication channel used to transmit alarm event information by the security panel, the message comprising identification information of the security panel sending the message and a current location of the security panel as determined by location circuitry resident within the security panel;   comparing the current location of the security panel to the physical address stored in the customer account by the processor to determine whether the current location of the security panel is within a predetermined distance of the physical address; and   providing an indication of the result of the comparison of whether the current location of the security panel is within the predetermined distance of the physical address stored in the customer account record.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 converting the current location into a current address; and   comparing the current address to the physical address stored in the memory to determine if the security panel is within the predetermined distance from the physical address stored in the customer account record.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance is a distance within an accuracy specification of position-determination circuitry co-located with the security panel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a query from a remote location via a network interface, the query comprising an identification of a customer and a purported address where the security panel is located;   comparing the purported address with the current location of the security panel; and   transmitting a message to the remote location via the network interface of whether the purported address is within a predetermined distance from the current location of the security panel.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 converting the location information into a current address;   storing the current address in the memory;   receiving a query from a remote location via a network interface, the query comprising an identification of the customer and a purported address where the security panel is located;   comparing the purported address with the current address of the security panel; and   transmitting a message to the remote location via the network interface indicative of whether the purported address matches the current address.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the indication comprises an amendment to the customer account record indicative of the comparison results. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the indication comprises sending an alert message to one or more persons indicating that the current location of the security panel is not within the predetermined distance of the physical address stored in the customer account record. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance is selected by the processor based on a housing density associated with the location information. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for verifying a location of a security panel installation, comprising:
 a network interface for receiving a security panel identification of a security panel and a physical address where the security panel has been installed;   a wireless interface for receiving the security panel identification information of the security panel and a current location of the security panel as determined by location circuitry resident within the security panel;   a memory for storing processor-executable instructions for operation of the apparatus and for storing customer account records associated with customers each having an installed security system; and   a processor coupled to the network interface, the wireless interface, and the memory, for executing the processor-executable instructions that cause the apparatus to:
 store the security panel identification and the physical address in a customer account record in the memory; 
 compare the current location of the security panel to the physical address stored in the customer account to determine whether the current location of the security panel is within a predetermined distance of the physical address; and 
 generate an indication of the result of the comparison of whether the current location of the security panel is within the predetermined distance of the physical address stored in the customer account record. 
   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise further instructions that cause the apparatus to:
 convert the current location into a current address; and   compare the current address to the physical address stored in the memory to determine if the security panel is within the predetermined distance from the physical address stored in the customer account record.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the predetermined distance comprises a distance within an accuracy specification of location circuitry co-located with the security panel. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise further instructions that causes the apparatus to:
 receive a query from a remote location via the network interface, the query comprising an identification of a customer and a purported address where the security panel is located;   compare the purported address with the current location of the security panel; and   send a message to the remote location via the network interface indicating whether the purported address is within a predetermined distance from the current location of the security panel.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise further instructions that causes the apparatus to:
 convert the location information into a current address;   store the current address in the customer account record;   receive a query from a remote location via the network interface, the query comprising an identification of the customer and a purported address where the security panel is located;   compare the purported address with the current address of the security panel; and   transmit a message to the remote location via the network interface indicative of whether the purported address matches the current address.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the indication comprises an amendment to the customer account record indicative of the comparison results. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the indication comprises sending an alert message to one or more persons indicating that the current location of the security panel is not within the predetermined distance of the physical address stored in the customer account record. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the predetermined distance is selected by the processor based on a housing density associated with the location information. 
     
     
         17 . A security panel, comprising:
 location circuitry for determining a location of the security panel;   a wireless interface for transmitting the location of the security panel and a security panel identification to a remote location;   a user interface for receiving user input;   a memory for storing processor-executable instructions for general operation of the security panel; and   a processor, coupled to the location circuitry, the wireless interface, the user interface, and the memory, for executing the processor-executable instructions that cause the security panel to:
 receive a command from the user interface to determine the current location of the security panel; and 
 send the current location of the security panel and a security panel identification to a remote location over a communication channel used to transmit event codes by the security panel. 
   
     
     
         18 . The security panel of  claim 17 , wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise further instructions that cause the security panel to:
 determine an address closest to the location information; and   transmit the determined address to the remote location as the location information.   
     
     
         19 . The security panel of  claim 17 , wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise further instructions that cause the security panel to:
 determine that a predetermined time period has elapsed from a previous transmission of location information to the remote location;   determine a second location information of the security panel; and   provide the second location as the location information to the remote location.